CRESTVIEW — If you have an event you would like to submit, send your first and last name and information about the event to news@crestviewbulletin.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 3 things to do this week in Northwest Florida

CRESTVIEW — Air Force Airman 1st Class Abbigayle K. Wagner graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed eight weeks' training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Basic training graduates earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Wagner earned distinction as an honor graduate.

She is the daughter of Bridgette and Chad Knight of Saraland, Alabama, and wife of Robert Wagner of Crestview.  

The airman is a 2011 graduate of Black Forest Academy, New York, N.Y. She earned an associate degree in 2014 from Faulkner State Community College, Gulf Shores, Ala.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Wagner completes basic military training

CRESTVIEW — Marquis Cinema 10 is showing children's movies free of charge this summer. People of all ages may attend, and seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and movies start at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 3 (except for July 4) at 2828 Richbourg Lane, Crestview.

Here are the remaining dates and movies to be shown.

•June 22 — "Finding Dory" and "Monster Trucks"

•June 27 and 29 — "Despicable Me 2" and "BFG"

•July 6 — "Secret Life of Pets" and "Middle School"

•July 11 and 13 — "Sing" and "Pete's Dragon," the 2016 version.

•July 18 and 20 — "Kubo and the Two Strings" and "Ice Age Collision Course"

•July 25 and 27 — "The Lego Batman Movie" and "Nine Lives"

•Aug. 1 and 3 — "The Angry Birds Movie" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass"

NOTE: This article was  updated June 21 due to an incorrect date for the July 25 and 27 movies. The source material contained an error.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview theater offers free children's movies

CRESTVIEW — The nomination process for the next Mae Reatha Coleman Citizen of the Year Award is open through July 1.

Nomination forms are available at the Crestview Clerk's office, 198 Wilson St. N.

Nominees must reside in or have an interest in the betterment of Crestview over the past year. The nomination form should list selfless acts not related to the nominee's job; discuss who benefited, what was accomplished, breadth of the impact, and how it related to the community.

Submit nomination packages to City Clerk's Office or email them to cityclerk@cityofcrestview.org.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City seeks Citizen of the Year Award nominees

CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County Courthouse records of marriages through June 15 include:

•Jaliza Aguirre of Crestview, and Luke Harshaney of Eglin Air Force Base.

•Judy Gore and Bobby McGregor, both of Holt.

•Kaicey Johnson and Christopher Northrup, both of Crestview.

•Amanda Pack and Joshua Ray, both of Crestview.

•Molly Busby of Milton and Billy Thibodeaux, of Crestview.

•Dwendolynn Cato and Louis Bertrand, both of Crestview.

•Shirley Solliday and Robert Mitchell, both of Crestview.

•Tess Harrison and Brooks Goldsmith, both of Crestview.

•Laura Laux and Richard Laux Jr., both of Holt.

•Meagan Perrault of Panama City and M-Kyla-Rae Bleakney-Jefferys of Crestview.

•Alexis Castillo and Darrell Eddings II, both of Crestview.

•Brittany Moore and Kenrick Jacqmin, both of Crestview.

•Jessica Angela Wade and Ivan Sostaric, both of Crestview.

•Victoria Crisman of Crestview and Christian Stapp of Baker.

•Linda Mitchem and Luke Sheplock of Crestview.

•Haley Wagner and Michael Jones, both of Baker.

•Leanna Owens and Louis de Lange, both of Holt.

•Kari Gay and Adam Richards, both of Baker.

•Jaqui Miller of Laurel Hill and Joseph Rogers of Florala, Alabama.

•Sherry Boles and Dwight Dunford, both of Crestview.

•Timothy Peasley and Tonie Allen, both of Crestview.

•Brittany Reed of Laurel Hill and Matthew Rakas of Crestview.

•Sarah Rippert and Rodger Ates, both of Crestview.

•Karen Muszall of Graniteville, South Carolina and Shawn Spencer of Crestview.

•Bre Ann Cooke and Jon Rodgers, both of Crestview.

•Rebecca Arnett and Christopher Okarmus, both of Crestview.

•Becky Lubben of Crestview and Jeffrey Gilmore of Navarre.

•Courtney Lock and Teneka Spates, both of Crestview.

•Taneisha Foster and Carey Everett, both of Crestview.

•Reagan Masera and Christopher Reynolds, both of Crestview.

•Lavasia Caldwell and David Bozeman, both of Crestview.

•Stephenie Downey and Laurence Shipley, both of Crestview.

•Angela Radcliffe and Nestor Fuentes Jr., both of Crestview.

•Noelle Perry of Crestview, and Isaac Good of Los Osos, California.

•Ashley St. John and Haley Parks, both of Crestview.

The News Bulletin publishes North Okaloosa County residents' “Celebrations” — birth, centenarian, engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements — at no charge. We may edit submissions for length and style.

Call 682-6524 or email news@crestviewbulletin.com for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa marriage licenses

SHALIMAR — The Okaloosa County Tax Collectors Office will send renewal notices for 2018 business tax receipts starting July 1.

Occupational licenses are required for businesses that provide merchandise, entertainment, or services to the public, even if it’s only a one-person company or home-based business within Okaloosa County.

For those whose BTR has expired, it should be renewed as soon as possible to avoid additional penalties.

Payment options include:

●Using an Echeck at www.OkaloosaTax.com.

●Visiting 302 N. Wilson St. Suite 101 Crestview. Call 651-7300 for hours.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa to send business tax renewals

CRESTVIEW— The Panhandle Animal Welfare Society hosted a pet adoption event June 17 at Tractor Supply to help several dogs and cats find new homes.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Up for adoption

CRESTVIEW — Vera Owen turned 103 June 14, and celebrated the occasion with family and friends that day at the Crescent Park Village assisted living facility.

Good picture video

Relatives present at the celebration included Owen's 81-year-old son Jim, of Crestview, and his wife Nell; her two sisters, Evelyn Grant and Emogene Adkinson; and a niece, Debra Grant of Griffin, Georgia.

They enjoyed punch, refreshments and each other's company.

When asked what she wished for after blowing out the birthday candles, Owen said, "Just to be here for the next one!"

A little history

Owen, her sisters and their three older brothers (Barney, Melvin and Aldene) grew up on their family's farm in Sycamore, Georgia.

"Dad was a produce farmer, and grew (many different) vegetables, cotton and peanuts," Adkinson said.

She married Sam Owen at age 18. They raised two children, Jeremy (Jim) and Betty Lou, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. The couple had one grandchild, Melody, and two great-grandchildren.

Her son's story of a doctor's appointment

Owen spent 30 years as a manager at the Walker's factory in Ashburn, Georgia. The company manufactured men's dress pants.

"I worked at a place I had 300 people to manage. Just to speak to them every day took miles of walking. I enjoyed every day of it. I didn't mind going to work at all," she said.

When asked if she had any problems being a woman manager in those days, she made it very clear that wasn't a problem.

Further, "I never did have to fire anybody. If I had one that was not working right, I'd go tell the boss to fire him," Owen said with a laugh.

Hard work, clean living and friendship

Owen said the secret to life for her is good clean living and hard work, "and I've done plenty of it!" she said.

Those are the things staff members say they've learned about her during her stay at Crescent Park. Executive Director Meg Lawhon said Owen teaches others "that hard work will not hurt you! She has lived a life with Christian values and standards that she is proud of."

While Owen claims to not be as active these days — "I don't do a thing in the world: sit on the front porch, watch people go by," she said — some family and staff members implied she does a little more than that.

"She walks as fast without her walker as she does with it," Grant said. She had just finished looking for Owen's walker, and found it on the other side of the room.

Lorene Cawthon, Crescent Park administrative assistant, said Owen "runs rings around the staff" during exercise classes at the facility. She also enjoys full participation in bingo and other resident activities twice a day.

Lawhon, who has known Owen for 15 years, said she gets up around 7 a.m. every day, dresses herself and comes to breakfast. After that, she goes to her room to read the newspaper and make phone calls. She takes a quick nap after lunch, and spends time with residents and visitors in the living room during the day.

She says the 103-year-old is a wonderful conversationalist, loves bingo, and is an avid reader.

"She reads novels and is always on the lookout for a good book…she has a good sense of humor and is willing to try anything," Lawhon said. "She is a joy to be around, she is very popular with all the residents and staff."

That statement shows another necessity of life for Owen — having good friends around you.

"Don't be afraid to meet people — jump in and start a conversation with them. Be friendly and lead a good life," she said. 

Family stories

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Be friendly and lead a good life'

CRESTVIEW— A local woman has taken in a young, injured kitten and nursed it back to health from her home.

Karen McCauley, who works at Two Trees Restaurant at Fort Walton Beach Golf Club, said she found a kitten near her car in the parking lot a few weeks ago. McCauley said she thought it was a bird at first, and wondered why it wasn’t flying away; then she heard it make an awful noise.

McCauley said the kitten had been hit with a golf club and was gasping for air. With assistance from a coworker, McCauley said they fed the kitten some milk and cat food until it was strong enough to bring to the veterinarian.

When she brought it to the emergency veterinary clinic that night, McCauley said the kitten bit both her and the vet tech. The vet tech said that since the cat was feral and it bit them, it was protocol to cut off the animal’s head and send it to be tested for rabies, according to McCauley.

The vet tech said that the kitten was dying, according to McCauley, so they asked that she bring its body back when it dies; however, more than three weeks later, the kitten is still alive and healing in McCauley’s Crestview home.

The kitten, now named Ping after the brand of golf clubs, has doubled in weight from one pound to a little more than two in the time McCauley has had her. McCauley said the doctors believe she is around 10 weeks old.

“I called every vet in Crestview, but none of them would take her,” McCauley said. “I tried Companion [Animal Hospital] in Fort Walton and they told me to bring her right in. They have been phenomenal.

Ping was seen by Katie Maples, a veterinarian at Companion, just a few days after McCauley found the kitten. Maples said she could not comment on the health of the kitten due to confidentiality laws.

As for McCauley’s perception of the cat’s injury, “They asked me how I could tell it was a golf club,” McCauley said. “I said, ‘Because it’s this wide, this long and it’s concaved in.’”

According to McCauley, Ping’s injuries included three broken ribs; a severe hernia, which has caused her intestines to move into her leg; anemia; missing fur where the injury from the golf club was; and malnutrition.

“If Companion hadn’t helped as much as they did, it would be really tight right now,” McCauley said.

According to McCauley, the animal hospital didn’t charge for Ping’s second appointment and only charged a small amount for the shots at her third appointment.

McCauley has a GoFundMe page where she has raised $450 out of her goal of $800 to cover the cost of Ping’s hernia and spay surgery, which will be done once her ribs are completely healed. McCauley said people from the golf course have also donated.

McCauley said that she alerted the employees of the golf course so they could keep an eye out for the person who might have abused Ping.

“I’m surprised she’s as friendly as she is after that; it’s bizarre,” McCauley said. “She never cries or complains about pain; she just has the best attitude.”

To donate toward Ping’s medical care, visit https://www.gofundme.com/brutbrutally-abused-and-left-for-dead.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'She just has the best attitude'

THE QUESTION

“Any news as to when the new Fairfield Inn (next to the old Ryan’s) will be finished?” — Teresa and Mike Fleszar, Crestview

THE ANSWER

According to Christi Sheals, a permit clerk for Crestview’s building department, plans for the Fairfield Inn and Suites are still under review and have not been approved yet.

“Harvill Incorporated is who is going to permit it once it is approved,” Sheals said.

Employees from the corporate communication department at Marriott, the company that owns Fairfield Inn and Suites, did not respond to several calls or messages on the subject.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU

Crestview will eventually get a Fairfield Inn and Suites next to the old Ryan’s building on Highway 85 South; however, there is no projected completion date and construction has not yet begun.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fairfield Inn and Suites' completion date unknown